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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585205">Operation: Deerly Beloved</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aac7/pseuds/aac7'>aac7</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hilda &amp; the Fawn [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Post-Time Skip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:47:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,523</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585205</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aac7/pseuds/aac7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A visit from a certain big brother to Garreg Mach forces Hilda's hand, therefore leading her to band her friends together to create the perfect plan. Hilda Valentine Goneril, hater of work and all things related, pulls out all the stops to put her near flawless plan into motion, a plan that she believes will help end the war and save Fódlan.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hilda &amp; the Fawn [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Operation: Deerly Beloved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>-The Briefing-</strong>
</p><p>Hilda slams her hands onto the table, making everyone present in the Cardinal’s Room jump. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today,” she starts. When everyone’s eyes are on her, their interest piqued, she exhales loudly. “There’s an emergency.” Backs straighten and eyes widen as they exchange worried glances. Lysithea raises her hand. “Yes, Lysithea?”</p><p>“If it’s an emergency…then why aren’t the Professor and Claude here?” She asks, gesturing to the empty seats at the head of the table, normally occupied by their sovereign duke and the acting Archbishop.</p><p>Hilda shakes her head, opening her folder and pulling out her first piece of evidence. “We are here because of this man,” she holds up a crudely drawn stick figure of General Holst Goneril, vaguely recognizable only by the pink hair and the messy depiction of Freikugel. Ignatz grimaces, and Hilda silences him with a glare as she slaps the drawing onto the table, allowing it to be passed around. “My brother, as most of you would know, is very attracted to powerful women, sometimes men, generally someone who knows their way around a blade. Now, we are all queens of course, but who is the most physically powerful and weapons savvy person in this monastery?”</p><p>“The Professor,” everyone answers immediately, and Hilda nods, beginning to slowly pace around the room.</p><p>“That’s right. Yesterday, she had a sparring match with my dear big brother, and for lack of better words, kicked his ass. It ended with her knocking Freikugel across the room.” It was a narrow victory, but the Professor had managed to disarm Holst, who was recognized as one of Fodlan’s most talented and promising generals. To her though, he was just a dude getting in the way of the greatest love story she's ever witnessed. “After said match, he was…very flirty. They went to town to get some supplies last night, and they seemed to have really hit it off. He would not shut up about her.” She had dinner with her brother last night, where he proceeded to spew compliment after compliment about Byleth. “He had too many nice things to say about her.”</p><p>Sylvain cleared his throat. “Isn’t it good that they’re getting along? She is going to be in charge of his soldiers once we march to Enbarr, he has to trust her so that his army does,” he points out, a few people murmuring in agreement.</p><p>“That’s not the point,” Hilda snaps, swatting the back of his head when she walks behind him, Ingrid snickering beside him as he rubs the back of his skull. “The point is…I think Claude is jealous.” No one said anything. “Claude had joined us for dinner last night, and while Holst was talking about the Professor, I think Claude was actually glaring at him.” Hilda had recognized the look immediately. It was the look he would silently shoot across the room when someone at the roundtable even dared to question his authority, or even Byleth’s after they had taken the Great Bridge of Myrddin.</p><p>“Why is that important?” Felix huffs, looking like this conversation was close to killing him. “Why should Claude care about who the Professor is sleeping with? She isn’t his girlfriend.”</p><p>The look Hilda gave him could freeze Ailell over. Twice. If this conversation didn’t kill him, Hilda would. “It matters because Claude obviously has feelings for her. It might rule out the possibility of them ever getting together if he thinks she likes Holst. They’re leading our entire army, guys. What if Claude thinks she doesn’t share his feelings and it makes things awkward between the two of them?</p><p>“The Professor…likes Claude back?” Raphael asks, sounding a little unsure.</p><p>Hilda groans. “Of course she likes him back, although she’s a lot better at hiding it, I think.”</p><p>“If she likes him back, then won’t she be deterred from any romantic endeavours with Lord Holst?” Lorenz adds, and Hilda is tired of everyone asking questions and questioning her ability to state the obvious.</p><p>She rubs her temples, then clasps her hands together in front of her so she doesn’t throw anything at Lorenz. “Holst likes Professor. Claude loves Professor,” she explains slowly, as if she is speaking to children. “Claude and Professor work together to make our army run smoothly. Army runs smoothly, we win the war. Got it?”</p><p>This time, everyone nods, and she smiles triumphantly. “Good. We will call this,” she turns around and scrawls their operation name on the chalkboard. “Operation Deerly Beloved.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>-Phase 1: Reconnaissance-</strong>
</p><p>“Hey, Professor,” Hilda greets cheerfully, skipping into the old Captain’s Quarters and slinging an arm over the back of her desk chair. “Whatcha doing?” She peered over her shoulder and saw her poring over some…blueprints? The amount of lines made Hilda’s head spin. War plans were boring. “What is it of?” she asks, dropping herself into a nearby armchair and resting her chin on her hands, elbows on the desk.</p><p>“Blueprints for Fort Merceus,” Byleth answered, not looking up, twirling her quill between her thumb and index finger. “Holst got them for me, actually,” she said, a small smile forming on her lips.</p><p>There. Hilda thought, cursing her brother silently. Getting a lady a present like that? Since when was he so quick to act? He certainly moved faster than she expected. “Holst, huh? He doesn’t let anyone call him by his name, he must really like you.”</p><p>Byleth raised a brow, but didn’t say anything, eyes still fixed on the blueprints.</p><p>Now, Hilda was a lot of things. Lazy, incompetent, spoiled, yeah, whatever. She was also nosy, and she prided herself on honing the craft so well that she could and would get anything out of anyone. Including their soft-spoken and well-guarded Professor. “So, Professor. Holst, huh? What do you think?”</p><p>She seemed to contemplate it, and eventually Byleth simply hummed, still not looking up. “He’s very skilled with an axe.” Hilda waited for her to continue, but she didn’t.</p><p>“That’s it?” Hilda asked, her brows knotting together. “Surely you have more to say about my brother. Did you think he was…I don’t know, good looking?”</p><p>She finally looked up, clearly unfazed, but ever so slightly shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “He is…handsome, yes,” she said carefully. “Why do you ask?”</p><p>Hilda batted her lashes, flicking her hair over her shoulder and feigning innocence. “Oh, no reason really…he just had a lot to say about you after your spar. That’s all.”</p><p>Byleth stares at her, that damn stare still unnerving to Hilda herself, even after five years. “Hilda,” she starts slowly, and Hilda gulps. “What are you up to?” She questioned, eyes narrowing.</p><p>“I – um-” <em>Think, Hilda. Think</em>. “Just wanted to know what you thought of Holst, that’s all,” she laughs nervously. Byleth just blinks at her. <em>Time to change the subject before she gets suspicious</em>. “What are your plans for the rest of the day? Maybe we can get some tea?” Little did she know, Hilda wasn’t going to be the one getting tea with her.</p><p>Byleth leans back in her chair, doing the thing she does where she stares into a person’s soul. “I can’t today. I’m having tea with your brother in an hour to go over some tactics for Fort Merceus with him.”</p><p>“What?” Hilda shot up out of her seat, knocking it over. “What? You’re having tea with Holst?” She repeats, knowing full well that she was waving her arms around wildly.</p><p>“To discuss tactics, yes,” Byleth tilts her head, squinting at Hilda. “Is…something wrong?”</p><p>Hilda ran out without giving her an answer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>-Emergency Strategy Meeting-</strong>
</p><p>“What now?” Lysithea sighs. Hilda had gathered them in the Cardinal’s Room once again, this time pacing furiously at the head of the table.</p><p>Again, she slams her hands on the table. “I’m glad you asked, Lysithea von Ordelia. We have a new problem that totally interrupts our original plan.” She opens her folder and pulls out a sheet of paper, slapping it onto the table. On the paper was a crudely drawn stick figure of the Professor, recognizable only by the mint coloured hair and the toothpick version of the Sword of the Creator.</p><p>“The Professor?” Raphael asks, gnawing on a piece of jerky. “What about her? Is she okay?”</p><p>Hilda throws her arms up. “That depends! She is having tea with Holst this afternoon to discuss ‘tactics’ with him!” She added air quotes for emphasis, hoping at least one person would be just as worked up as her. But no, everyone just stared at her. “This is bad, you guys! The Professor didn’t even start inviting us to tea until about two months of knowing us. Now she invites my stupid brother to tea after knowing him for two days? Come on.”</p><p>Lorenz scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “It astounds me that you have the gall to call someone such as Lord Holst stupid, let alone your own family.”</p><p>Without any warning, Hilda picks up and whips a nearby paperweight at him, but he ducks and it dents the wall behind him. She returned his wide-eyed shock with a glare, waving her fist at him. “Shut your stupid mouth, Lorenz, or I’ll go over there and shut it for you.”</p><p>Marianne raises her hand, and Hilda nodded for her to speak. “The Professor is quite literal, Hilda,” she pointed out, everyone nodding. “If she says she is going to discuss something, especially something like tactics in relation to a mission, she will.”</p><p>“Well,” Ignatz clears his throat, drawing attention to himself. “It is…odd and unlike her to take to a new person so quickly after having met them.” Hilda breaths a sigh of relief. Finally someone understood.</p><p>Next to Ignatz, Leonie shakes her head. “That was before. She’s different now. I’m sure you’ve all noticed how much she’s changed since we’ve known her. Besides, this is General Holst Goneril we’re talking about. He’s kind of hot and he’s a great fighter. Who wouldn’t be attracted to him?”</p><p>Hilda’s right eye twitched upon hearing her brother referred to as hot, and was mildly shocked when even Ingrid blushed and agreed with Leonie’s statement. “Doesn’t matter,” she said loudly, drawing their attention back to her. “Phase two has changed,” everyone at the table groaned, but Hilda simply didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, her work was for the sake of ending the war. For the sake of Fodlan. Most importantly though, it was for the sake of her best friend’s heart.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>-Phase 2: An Emergency Fix-</strong>
</p><p>The gardens were empty. It was a good thing, because no innocent bystanders were around to get hurt.</p><p>It was also bad though, because Holst and Byleth were sitting alone. Hilda had to admit, it was kind of romantic, but it would have been better if the Professor was with a certain someone else. Hilda shook the thought out of her head. Those were thoughts from a different part of the plan, and as Byleth says, the battlefield was no place for idle thoughts. She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard Byleth laugh at something Holst said, making her heart race and her palms sweat as if she were standing on the front lines.</p><p>As perceptive as the Professor was on the battlefield, she didn’t seem to notice the various groups of her students hidden throughout the hedges of the garden, surrounding the only occupied tea table. Hilda watched as Holst poured her a cup of tea, Byleth thanking him as she arranged her reports across the table.</p><p>“Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” she said, handing Holst a report and picking up a teacup. So she arranged the original meeting. Hilda filed that away in her mental set of notes. “It was nice of you to suggest tea in the gardens, I haven’t gone out of my study enough lately.” Holst suggested the gardens. Since when did he like gardens?</p><p>Holst flashed her a rather handsome smile, and Hilda hoped that Byleth’s cheeks pinked due to the breeze. “Ah, it is a lovely day out, perfect for tea and some work outside, don’t you agree?” Hilda could recognize her brother’s noble pleasing smile from miles away. Most noblewomen were immediately smitten, but Byleth simply nodded and turned back to her reports, sipping her tea quietly. Her eyebrows flicked up suddenly, and a small smile appeared on her lips.</p><p>“Chamomile,” she grinned, “my favourite.” Holst’s smile grew wider as he ran a hand through his hair, resting his elbows on the table.</p><p>“Is that so?” he asked, tilting his head. “I thought of you while I was choosing. You’re a refined woman, that much is obvious. No nonsense, and like a mercenary, very practical. It’s clear you work yourself to the bone each day, and chamomile is known for its relaxing properties. A beneficial property, if I do say so myself.”</p><p>Hilda cringed at his little speech, gagging a little bit. He was really laying it on thick. “Such crap,” Hilda whispered to Marianne. “I saw him asking Claude what her favourite tea was this morning!”</p><p>For the briefest of moments, the Professor seemed taken aback, but nodded and looked down at her reports. “I must say, Professor, you certainly know your way around military tactics,” he commented after a few moments of the two of them trading ideas back and forth. Hilda chose to tune most of that out. It was unnecessary information. “When you’ve won us this war, we could certainly use your skill and mindset at the Locket. It would be an honour to work by your side every day.” The Professor looked a little shocked, and Hilda’s fight-or-flight instincts kick in, and she swears she felt her crest surge as she put her hands up in the signature lion pose, alerting the group across from her.</p><p>Felix is shoved out of the hedges, followed by Sylvain and Ingrid. “Professor!” Sylvain exclaimed loudly, throwing his arms around his friends. Both Byleth and Holst whipped their heads in their direction. “A mighty fine day for some outdoor training, don’t you think? Why don’t you join us on the training grounds?”</p><p>“It’s a fine day to grind Felix into the dirt, right?” Ingrid adds, bringing a scowl to Felix’s face. Just as planned. Felix couldn’t act to save his skin, so they had to compromise using some special dialogue that came naturally to his two friends. Riling Felix up is as easy as taking candy from a baby.</p><p>“No,” he scoffs loudly, shoving Sylvain’s arm off his shoulders. “It’s the perfect day for me to notch my first win.” He immediately unsheathed his sword, pointing it at an unflinching Byleth. <em>All going according to plan,</em> Hilda complimented herself. “Don’t tell me you’re scared to lose, Professor?” He taunts, but Byleth doesn’t react.</p><p>Holst looks ready to jump to her defence, but Byleth holds a hand up, and he remains seated. Byleth sighs, and Hilda holds her breath, willing her to accept the offer. Of course, she doesn’t though. “It is a nice day, but perhaps we can train together later tonight? I might be able to squeeze a quick session in before dinner,” she turns back to her reports. “Besides, it’ll only take five minutes or so to crush your dreams, Fraldarius.” Hilda has to work hard to stifle her laughter.</p><p>Defeated, the Blue Lion team retreats out of the gardens, dragging a cursing Felix between them. Hilda inwardly groans, an invitation to training didn’t work, even with the incentive of one feisty little Felix Fraldarius. Strike one. Hilda doesn’t get to reorganize her thoughts though, because the enemy has broken through a battalion, and is quickly approaching the front lines.</p><p>Byleth turns back to Holst, who is still watching the three Faerghans, particularly Felix, curiously. “I apologize for Felix’s behaviour,” she sighs wistfully. “He very much looks forward to the day he beats me in a spar, he would never actually harm me.”</p><p>Holst is smiling again, although this time…Hilda squints to get a better look at his expression. His smile seems…sad. “Ah, he reminds me so much of his older brother.” He sets down his teacup, staring up at the roof of the gazebo. “I attended the academy with Glenn Fraldarius, I didn’t know him all too well, but he was a good guy, and made a very good sparring partner.” Hilda is so thrown off by this act of vulnerability that she almost doesn’t notice that when Byleth sets down her reports, a soft smile forms as she places her hand over his.</p><p>“We lose a lot of good men in such unjust actions,” she says, her voice so soft that Hilda barely hears it. “When we win this war, people like yourself and Claude will be able to reshape Fodlan, and build a country that doesn’t feel the need to sink to such levels of violence in order to rise. You will change the world for the better.” She lifts her hand from his, but before Hilda can sigh in relief, he grabs her hand in both of his. Byleth freezes, and Lysithea moves to get up, but Hilda grabs her arm.</p><p>“Wait,” she instructs, waiting to see how Byleth will react.</p><p>She doesn’t pull away, just smiles patiently. “If we are to change the world, what will you do, Professor?”</p><p>Byleth doesn’t answer for a minute, her lips pressed into a tight line. “I’m not sure,” she finally admits, her shoulders slumping a little.</p><p>Holst is nearly leaning across the table. “You’ll always have a place with me and Hilda at the Locket, whatever you decide,” he tells her, and while Hilda agrees, she’s sure her and her brother aren’t thinking in the same context. He then does the unthinkable, and brings Byleth’s hand to his lips, kissing it and looking up at her through his lashes.</p><p>Hilda takes a deep breath, and as loud as she can manage, squawks awkwardly, causing a nearby Dorothea to shoot a wicked thunderbolt nearby, signalling Petra and Caspar, who had been circling above the garden on their wyverns, to nosedive downwards. Holst nearly spills his tea when the two wyverns land in the garden, wings flapping and sending stray dirt and leaves in every direction.</p><p>“Professor!” Caspar yells, and Byleth looks more confused than stunned. “Look at what I taught him to do!” Caspar whistles sharply twice, and his wyvern whips his tail at Petra’s wyvern, and soon the garden is turned into a brawling ground for the two-winged creatures, who are jumping and slashing with sharp talons and beating wings. Holst looks absolutely alarmed, and Byleth again sighs, sweeping some dirt off her lap and standing, walking up to the tumbling wyverns and whistling a single long note. Both of them stop, turning to her expectantly, huffing but giving her their full attention. With the wyverns calm, Byleth looks at both of their riders, who are blushing furiously under her gaze.</p><p>“Impressive use of brawling and wyvern riding, you two, perhaps you can show me more in a…suitable location, and preferably when I am without company?” The tone of her voice is not one of suggestion, it’s an order. If they were still students, it would mean a month of scooping horse dung and a week of detention.</p><p>The Black Eagle team stumble through apologies before she waves them off, and they fly out of there faster Raphael running towards a hunk of steak. Strike two. They only have one more chance.</p><p>Byleth returns to her seat. “Again, I apologize for their behaviour,” she says, not meeting his eyes. “They usually aren’t like this.” She grabs a cookie off the plate, nibbling on it as she once again picks up her quill, scribbling a few notes.</p><p>“Not a problem,” Holst dismisses, following her actions. “If anything, you should be flattered. Your students seem quite eager to impress you.” Byleth chuckles at this, and Holst’s eyes twinkle mischievously. “I know if I had a professor like you, I’d be killing myself to catch your eye.”</p><p>Hilda puts up the deer sign immediately, her last resort, and jumps out of her hiding place, Marianne and Lysithea hot on her heels. “Professor, Holst!” She greets an octave too high, sauntering up to them as casually as she can manage. “Funny seeing you guys here,” she lies as if she hadn’t followed them here in the first place.</p><p>Byleth, clearly no longer amused at her student’s antics, blows Hilda’s cover when she says, “I told you we were going to be here.”</p><p>Hilda is frozen in place, caught between the Professor’s expectant stare as she awaits an explanation, and Holst’s glare as he drags his finger across his throat in a threatening motion. Hilda resists the urge to flip him off as she struggles to formulate a response. Luckily, her two companions jump in and the team across from her enters the fray.</p><p>“Resistance training!” Lorenz yells, drawing their target’s attention to Ignatz, Raphael, Leonie and himself. There’s the sound of magic crackling through the air, and before Byleth or Holst can react, Marianne and Lysithea cast huge balls of magic at the group, the mix of spells blinding everyone present.</p><p>The last thing Hilda hears is that she better have an explanation ready. Strike three.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>-Closing Statements-</strong>
</p><p>Claude does not look impressed.</p><p>Byleth is absent, having accompanied Holst to the infirmary to get some minor burns looked at. The original deer have been lined up in the Cardinal’s room for five minutes now, the only sound is the occasional cough and Claude’s impatient boot tapping the floor.</p><p>Hilda opens her mouth to speak, but Claude stops her. “I don’t even know what to do,” he says, his tone harsher than they’ve ever heard it. “I seriously don’t know what to do about any of you right now.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut. “Are you all children, because only children act like this.”</p><p>Everyone looks in any direction other than at Claude, no one daring to speak until Hilda tries again. “I can explain –” she doesn’t get to finish her sentence.</p><p>“By told me what happened,” he interrupts, eyes narrowing at her. “She was trying to go over very important details in regard to our very deadly and dangerous plan to infiltrate Fort Merceus, but she barely made headway because you fools kept pulling whatever it is you’re pulling!” His voice is steadily rising, causing Marianne to flinch beside her.</p><p>Hilda tries again, “It’s –”</p><p>“Unbelievable?” Claude fills in, and Hilda clamps her mouth shut. “Unfathomably stupid and irresponsible?” He crosses his arms over his chest, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to say to you all anymore.”</p><p>“Maybe thank you?” Hilda says quietly, her eyes trained on the ground.</p><p>“Why would I even think say that?” He asks impatiently, clearly not keen on handing out praise or thanks anytime soon. “You had wyverns wrestling in the garden. Wyverns! That is ridiculous, Hilda,” he deadpans.</p><p>“We did it for you,” Lysithea insists desperately, sweeping a stray leaf off her sleeve.</p><p>Claude isn’t convinced, peering down at her. “You ruined the garden and By’s meeting with Lord Holst for my sake? Please explain, Lysithea,” he challenges, causing her to hesitate. “He sustained minor burns, you guys. He was our guest here, an important one, and you harmed him. We need his support,” Claude continues.</p><p>“Holst is alright,” everyone’s heads snap up and Claude turns to see Byleth entering the room. Her face is passive as she moves to Claude’s side. Hilda sees that her cloak is stained with the tea that flew across the table. “I’m very disappointed in your behaviour today,” she says calmly, but the words cut like a knife, and Hilda’s stomach drops. Claude nods in agreement. “I’ve also spoken to Seteth. You are all assigned to restoring the garden. Replanting hedges, helping the builders reconstruct gazebos, and are to put your gold together to pay for thirty percent of the restoration efforts. Seteth wanted you to pay fully, but I drive a hard bargain.” Everyone mumbles an embarrassed thanks.</p><p>“We’re sorry, Professor,” Ignatz whispers, his face red. “We just wanted to –”</p><p>Byleth stops him and exhales loudly, shaking her head. “Just please refrain from such antics in the presence of our guests. It’s very unbecoming as we recruit people to our cause. Also, we are funding a war, damaging the monastery’s property is hardly acceptable. Please, do not do this again, especially not for our sake, whatever reason that may be,” she says as she gestures between herself and Claude. “You are all dismissed.”</p><p>Everyone files out silently, apologizing to both Byleth and Claude on their way out, but Hilda stays behind. “It was all my idea,” she admits sheepishly. “Don’t be mad at the rest of them.” Under their stares, she feels like a child being scolded by her parents.</p><p>"Just don't do it again," they both say, and Hilda bites back a smile as she nods. So in sync.</p><p>Hilda follows her friends out, but stops halfway down the hall, remembering that she discarded her gloves over the back of one of the chairs, and turns around to grab them. Hopefully Byleth and Claude have left and taken their disapproving stares with them. She’s about to step into the room when she hears their two hushed voices.</p><p>She knows that she should turn around right now and forget about the gloves, but that simply is not her nature.</p><p>So she presses herself into the wall next to the doorframe and peeks into the room, seeing Claude and Byleth’s backs facing her.</p><p>Hilda strains her ears to hear their conversation. “I have a meeting with Judith,” Claude says, turning to face Byleth. “Did you reschedule with Holst?” Hilda makes a face. After all that work...</p><p>Byleth faces him, nodding. “First thing tomorrow morning," she confirms. "You should join us.”</p><p>Claude nods, the half of his mouth Hilda can see turning upwards. “I think I will. Anyways, I have to go," he lowers his voice, "you’ll come by tonight?” He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. Hilda’s eyes widen, and the gears turn in her head.</p><p>Byleth steps closer, so she’s pressed flush against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Of course,” she murmurs, and Claude responds by dipping down and pressing his lips to hers, confirming Hilda's suspicions. <em>No way.</em></p><p>Hilda can’t hide her loud gasp, and the couple stare at her with shocked expre-</p><p>Hilda follows her friends out, but stops halfway down the hall, remembering that she discarded her gloves over the back of one of the chairs, and turns around to grab them. Hopefully Byleth and Claude have left and taken their disapproving stares with them. She’s about to step into the room, but the door is closed, and when she tries the handle, it’s locked. Odd, she thinks, but shrugs.</p><p>She’ll get her gloves later.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you read, thank you! I appreciate you, I see you, I love you! Almost as much as I love Claude and Byleth and wingwoman Hilda.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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